The Washington Mystics and the WNBA still have no offseason moves because of the current CBA negotiations. However, some of their players will continue to play basketball in the late winter and early spring through the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Earlier this month, Mystics guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen were named to the USA Basketball women’s national team roster for the tournament which is from Mar. 11-17 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They will play games against the hosts,
Senegal, Italy, New Zealand and Spain. Though the USA has clinched a berth in the World Cup by winning the 2025 Women’s AmeriCup, they are still required to compete in these qualification tournaments.
Team USA will be led by Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson, who is a former Mystics guard and Washington Wizards TV color analyst, which is a plus for DMV area fans like us. The timing of the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament will intersect with the peak of the women’s college basketball season, because the ACC tournament is from Mar. 4-8, and the NCAA Tournament will start on Mar. 18 with the First Four.
Thankfully, for Duke fans at least, Lawson won’t have to miss time because the ACC Tournament ends before the FIBA one. And the FIBA tournament will end right before the First Four. Duke is a Top 15 team nationally and one of the top teams in the ACC, so I don’t think the Blue Devils will be struggling to make the Big Dance by sneaking into the First Four.
Good luck to the Mystics players heading to the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
